Conditions We Treat: Coronary Artery Disease (Ischemic Heart Disease)

Coronary artery disease is a blockage or narrowing (stenosis) of the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, often due to a buildup of fatty plaque inside the arteries. A severe enough blockage may cause a heart attack. If not quickly treated, the blockage can cause parts of the heart muscle to die.

Coronary Artery Disease: What You Need to Know

Arteries are quite often narrowed or blocked due to atherosclerosis, when fat, cholesterol and other deposits collect on the inside of the artery walls.

Your doctor’s goal will be to reduce your risk of heart attack by reducing further plaque buildup: getting your cholesterol and blood pressure within appropriate limits. You may also be given medication to lower your risk of blood clots.

If disease is well advanced, doctors may perform stenting to enlarge the opening in the artery, or they may perform bypass surgery, where a vein is taken from the leg and grafted to the coronary artery to send blood around the blockage.

Our Treatments

Our Specialty Centers

The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease takes a multidisciplinary approach to helping you prevent heart disease and stroke—and that includes getting your cholesterol in check.